Game 2 of the World Series ended in controversy on Saturday night, as Tampa Bay's Yandy Diaz was called out on a check-swing appeal to finish Milwaukee's 5-4 comeback win over the Rays. The call, made by first-base umpire James Hoye, gave the Brewers a 2-0 series lead at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

How the ninth inning ended

The top of the ninth began with Rays centre fielder Jonny DeLuca's double, and the game came down to Diaz's at-bat with two outs, a full count and DeLuca on third base. Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby threw a curveball, home-plate umpire Jim Wolf initially did not call a swing, but catcher William Contreras appealed to first base, where Hoye ruled that Diaz had gone around. The strikeout ended the game, and the Brewers held on after trailing 4-0 early.

Why the call caused debate

Check-swings cannot be challenged or reviewed, and the rulebook has no rigid, black-and-white definition of when a batter has gone too far. That left fans and analysts debating a call that decided a World Series game. Fox play-by-play announcer Joe Davis noted that the automated ball-strike system now gets balls and strikes right, and argued that baseball needs a system that can get check-swings right too. Diaz himself said after the game that he disagreed in the moment, but that the umpire said it was a swing and it is what it is.

For the second night in a row, the final out of a World Series game involved drama, after Game 1 also finished with a close call. The series now heads to Tampa Bay for Game 3 on Monday 26 October, with the Rays looking for their first win and the Brewers two wins from a first championship in franchise history.